Tarrasque based society? What?!

[Nanoblack]

I was browsing through my daily maze of links when I came across this jewel:
(Also conveniently linked here)

I was inspired while reading about the tarrasque. Specificaly the bit about its regeneration.

"Once apon a time a nation decided to end the threat of the tarrasque once and for all. An army was assembled, led by the greatest heroes of the age. Most importantly, a number of powerful magical weapons were created for the battle. The monster was lured into a tight canyon and the battle began.

"At terrible cost, the tarrasque was defeated. But not slain. It was impaled by fourteen Immovable Harpoons (like an immovable rod, but spikey), each attached to a thick adamantine chain sunk deep into the canyon walls by magic. The tarrasque was restrained.

"A fortress was built around the tarrasque, to watch over it. Every day it's watchers hack away at the tarrasque with powerful magic weapons to keep it weakened in case of escape. Even so, there are casualties as they misjudge its reach, or as it's angry thrashing causes rockfalls.

"Of course, being a powerful magical crearture, the tarrasque's blood, flesh and other body parts have certain useful properties. A side effect of keeping the tarrasque imprisoned like this was a neverending supply of powerful magical components. A city grew up around the fortress to house the various wizards, scholars and alchemists that came to exploit the tarrasque's bounty. Eventually, it was almost as if the neverending stream of tarrasque blood, flesh and bone was more important than imprisoning the beast itself."

I'm picturing decadant nobles made immortal by their continuued consumption of tarrasque flesh. Warrior-butchers wielding vorpal greatswords to hack away at the tarrasque and channels cut into the stone underneath the beast to channel the valuable blood away. The tarrasque's distant screams and roars would be a continuous background noise for the people in the city, with "tarrasque-quakes" common. Almost an industry of ludicrously expensive magic items crafted from its body parts - tarrasquehide armour, tarrasquebone spears and potions and other alchemical miscellania of course.

You could play up the creepiness of the whole thing, maybe eating the flesh and blood of the tarrasque has unwanted side-effects. I'm thinking of tarrasque blood being analogous to the spice from dune - in this city the blood's used in just about everything and it has unusual effects on the populous.

Even with the tarrasque mostly restrained, getting close isn't a good idea and there'll be pretty frequent casualties amongst the butchers. Because of its reflective carapace, mnagic is a no go so it has to be someone getting in close with a big knife. Every now and then the chains will need to be re-planted to make sure they've not been loosened by the tarrasque's thrashing about - what fun that'll be.

And there's the whole hubris angle - maybe the pressure to cut away more and more of it lets it pull free of one or more of the immovable harpoons. And an inevitable tarrasque-worshipping cult that is covertly planning to free their god.

And if you want to play up the "tarrasque as force of nature" thing, maybe its imprisonment is throwing the natural order of things out of whack. The tarrasque is a necessary part of the ecosystem and plays "natural predator" to something really nasty. Without the tarrasque killing off the nasties every X years they've had time to grow into their adult, even nastier form.

I mean, come on; a fortress built around a chained godzilla who's constantly being butchered is dripping with adventure hooks and just plain cool.

I thought I would present this morsel to the playground for either interesting discussion, or (I hope) to check for interest for a game like this. The one thing that keeps running through my mind is: What sorts of magical properties do you think items made from tarrasque would have?

[The-Mage-King]

Oh, that? I worked on something involving that on the WotC forums a year back... Let me dig up the link to that thread...

Ah, here we go.


I contributed... Materials, a few grafts, some magic items, and a race, so...

A form of regeneration, for one thing.

[The Glyphstone]

well, it's not what you asked, but I can't really think of anything except wonder why they're letting it stay at postive HP - if it was driven into the negatives, there wouldn't be any thrashing or screaming for as long as they kept it there (all it'd take would be 40 HP/round after its DR, a couple of skeletal giants with big swords could do it or something).

[JeminiZero]

Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

[The Glyphstone]

Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

But that's not cool.

[Elfin]

Thanks for the link; that sounds really neat. I, for one, would definitely play in a game based on this - I especially like the "Tarrasque as a natural predator for something even nastier" angle.

Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

On reflection, perhaps in this setting Tier 1 and 2 casters should be banned.

[arguskos]

Thanks for the link; that sounds really neat. I, for one, would definitely play in a game based on this - I especially like the "Tarrasque as a natural predator for something even nastier" angle.

The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

On reflection, perhaps in this setting Tier 1 and 2 casters should be banned.

More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

[Nanoblack]

Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

Well while it's relatively easy for a player to have knowledge of the resources required to keep such a creature perpetually incapacitated, in-game it might not be so easy. Also it was stated that there were individuals who worshiped the thing as a god, so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume the superstitious commoners think it to be a trapped god of sorts and, along with its reputation, believe it to be truly unkillable.

[ericgrau]

Meh, a level 9 Wizard could knock the Tarrasque into a Perpetual coma with Summon Undead 5-Allip. No need for any gathering of champions or immovable harpoons.

Why stop at the tarrasque? 99% of monsters can't do much either. Which is exactly why that spell (at least if that particular monster is allowed) is broken and should never be allowed in any real game. Ditto for similar spells. And now you can ban those instead of casters.

[The-Mage-King]

Now, off the subject of Bork'd spells...

Tarrasque related stuff made in that thread.

Some grafts, an elixir, and weapons: This post.

Armor: This post.

Race: This post.

[Volos]

Hmm... I had been planning something similiar, I needed the BBEG to have a Tarrasque as his pet, but I had no real way to have it held down. With those spears I could... -evil laughter-

[kc0bbq]

Hmm... I had been planning something similiar, I needed the BBEG to have a Tarrasque as his pet, but I had no real way to have it held down. With those spears I could... -evil laughter-

Is your BBEG a big slug looking dude that eats frog things and keeps princesses in slave girl outfits?

[Elfin]

The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.

More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.

[EvilJames]

A Dm of mine was planning on running a game something like this accept the tarrasque was viewed as something akin to the Dragon of Tyr ala Dark Sun and all the powerful rulers of this world were undergoing transformations similar to the Sorcerer Kings but becoming more Tarasque like.

[Volos]

Is your BBEG a big slug looking dude that eats frog things and keeps princesses in slave girl outfits?

No... I was thinking of going all cliche on them, but he's a Great Wyrm Black Dragon with a dragonic prestige class. CR 32 or something like that.

[Prime32]

The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"

X Parasites?

What about chuuls? There was some fluff in a Dragon article which implied that only the first stage of their life cycle has been seen.

[Jolee]

"Long aeons ago [...]"

Cool, its purpose is to basically gorge itself on Lavos Spawn every half-century.

I noticed that the Tarresque is sapient (Int=3), what does this mean for the setting? I'm starting to picture the Tarresque as some sort of monstrous version of Prometheus: unjustly chained to rock, little creatures cutting away parts of his flesh everyday only for the bits to regrow for another round of torture. On another note, I bet the Tarresque would have picked up the language of its captors by now.

[MarkusWolfe]

"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.


Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.

No, humans, you are the Ravager Spawn!

And then the humans were monsters.

[The Glyphstone]

No, humans, you are the Ravager Spawn!

And then the humans were monsters.

Cue hyper-epic campaign where the players are immature Tarrasques working to cleanse the world.

[MarkusWolfe]

Cue hyper-epic campaign where the players are immature Tarrasques working to cleanse the world.

*pictures full grown Tarrasques with 20 levels of player classes*

[Chrono22]

Here's an idea about tarrasque meat consumption: regular consumption of the meat causes otherwise ordinary people to pass into temporary fits of rage (they go berserk). A single person, unable to distinguish friend from foe, would just be a nuisance for the city guard... but all people that regularly consume the tarrasque meat suffer this side effect simultaneously. When this event will occur is entirely random and unpredictable. It also makes you very hungry, all the time. You require twice as much sustenance as a normal member of your race.
The meat has some beneficial side effects as well: it grants a minor form of regeneration (as ring of regeneration), and it makes you resistant to poisons and disease (it grants a +4 resistance to either so long as you've eaten the meat in the last 24 hours).

Just imagine it. Every so often, the entire city is attacked by violent, crazed killers. And since the people that eat the meat regularly are almost all adventurers... you get the idea.

[Flickerdart]

Spelljammer had a planet of tarrasques. What if every city was built around one?

[Ilmryn]

The only question is "what the hell is preyed upon by ONE creature and why is it so super badass?"


More sensical to just buff the Monster Of Legend so stupid crap can't harm it and such crazy methods are necessary.

One of the few things in the monster manual that actually has a higher CR than the tarrasque. Dragons. Think about it.

On this world, humans knew dragons as rare but powerful creatures. They were never known for their size, usually not becoming larger than a large horse. Unbeknowst to the humans, the tarrasque was the bane of dragons, their only natural enemy. And now that it is trapped, the dragons have grown...

One day, the largest dragon ever seen, a gargantuan blue wyrm came flying out of the sky, and declared itself absolute ruler of Tarrasque City. He claimed the products of the tarrasque for himself and his spawn, and the dragons, being initially incompatiple with the Tarrasque, have mutated into something vile.

Tersarganlath, the blue wyrm is currently the most powerful being in the world; he is aspiring to rule it all, and is growing ever so slightly insane...

[Morph Bark]

Spelljammer had a planet of tarrasques. What if every city was built around one?

Or on one.

Like this.

[Flickerdart]

A nomadic society that moves based on the movements of their Tarrasque-city? I like it!

[Jack_Simth]

well, it's not what you asked, but I can't really think of anything except wonder why they're letting it stay at postive HP - if it was driven into the negatives, there wouldn't be any thrashing or screaming for as long as they kept it there (all it'd take would be 40 HP/round after its DR, a couple of skeletal giants with big swords could do it or something).

Oh, that. Perhaps it needs to be awake in order to eat and drink. See, damage from starvation and thirst bypasses regeneration, so they *need* to keep it awake in order to keep 'harvesting' it's components.

[Dark_Nohn]

"Long aeons ago, [InsertNameHere] the Ravager, an eldritch abomination of the Far Realm, found its way to the material plane. Spawning legions of its terrible offspring, the monster amassed an army with which it launched an assault upon the then-young world.
At last, the ancient peoples of those days defeated the Ravager and its hordes and imprisoned it deep below the earth, shackled by the roots of the world itself and tied down by the most powerful of magics.
But still, the Ravager had the power to create spawn: and these slowly amassed, eating at their parent's bonds, crawling upwards toward the surface of the world.
To prevent this threat from returning, the alien and remote gods who ruled the earth in those times appointed a creature - the primeval ancestor of the Tarrasque - to, every fifty years, make a lumbering pilgrimage to the cave complex in which the Ravager was imprisoned, and there to feast upon its spawn (which were relatively harmless in their early stages of growth). Thus was the Ravager kept in check: and though the elder gods faded, and the world changed, still the Tarrasque's line continued to make its solitary journeys (even though, as the younger races and gods took power, these became increasingly difficult).
But no longer. Ever since the city's raising, the spawn of the Ravager have been growing in numbers and in power, slowly making their way to the surface of the world, slowly gnawing at the chains that keep the Ravager in check."

Or something of that sort.


Yea. That actually does make a lot more sense.

About this, I would like to suggest that the use of multiple Unholy Scions (pg 155 Heroes of Horror) be used for the Ravager spawn, as it would give reason to why the Tarrasque attacks villages seemingly at random (was to prevent the birthing or growth of these evil beings.)

One of the few things in the monster manual that actually has a higher CR than the tarrasque. Dragons. Think about it.

On this world, humans knew dragons as rare but powerful creatures. They were never known for their size, usually not becoming larger than a large horse. Unbeknowst to the humans, the tarrasque was the bane of dragons, their only natural enemy. And now that it is trapped, the dragons have grown...

One day, the largest dragon ever seen, a gargantuan blue wyrm came flying out of the sky, and declared itself absolute ruler of Tarrasque City. He claimed the products of the tarrasque for himself and his spawn, and the dragons, being initially incompatiple with the Tarrasque, have mutated into something vile.

Tersarganlath, the blue wyrm is currently the most powerful being in the world; he is aspiring to rule it all, and is growing ever so slightly insane...

Not sure if I like this version, good aligned dragons are usually the antithesis of evil ones, as well as PCs of either alignment hunting those of the opposed alignment for power.

[JeminiZero]

Oh, that. Perhaps it needs to be awake in order to eat and drink. See, damage from starvation and thirst bypasses regeneration, so they *need* to keep it awake in order to keep 'harvesting' it's components.

Or you can build a really big Ring of Sustenance that fits on one of its toes.

[Rising Phoenix]

I can almost see a 'liberate the tarrasque' organization...

[Coidzor]

Ah, yes, I fell in love with this idea as soon as I saw it some years ago...